Chapter 72: Celebration Banquet

If literary cultivation wasn’t the most difficult aspect, then noble etiquette stood as a towering barrier for commoners seeking to pass the exams.
The noble etiquette assessment consisted of three parts: daily etiquette, banquet etiquette, and noble dances. Daily etiquette applied to interactions with others, banquet etiquette covered rules during meals, while noble dances were performed after banquets. For nobles, these practices were integral to their lives throughout their existence—whether at coming-of-age ceremonies, succession banquets, engagement parties, or wedding banquets, both male and female nobles were required to dance in pairs.
Dancing was seen as a symbol of nobility’s elegance, and it took at least two years of training to master one or two dance steps. Donald had also spent a long time learning under butler Cord a few years ago. Though not excellent, he could handle most banquets fairly well.
As a noble’s butler, one still had to master one or two basic dance steps even if they didn’t dance themselves. Given Donald’s family’s financial situation at the time, it would have been impossible to hire a noble dance instructor for him.
Uther, having been granted some basic memories by the Book of Truth, already possessed this knowledge, so passing the assessment was not a problem for him.
The final aspect—tactical command—was no challenge for a hero like Uther. Every hero was a natural leader and commander; these qualities were deeply ingrained in their souls from the moment the Book of Truth created them.
The king’s celebration banquet was scheduled after the knight exams. At that time, the knights who passed the exams would receive rewards from His Majesty. It was a rare event that occurred once every decade, which is why far more people took part in this year’s knight exams than in previous years.
Uther’s strength as a Bronze-level warrior quickly stood out among them. Even Ferdinand couldn’t help but envy Donald for finding such a capable guardian knight!
Meanwhile, in the High Mage Tower, Donald, with the help of three summoned units equipped with ample energy, worked tirelessly to copy texts nonstop. Over three and a half days, he acquired forty-seven rare mage books from the outside world. Although forty-seven might not seem like many, their combined value far exceeded the three hundred-plus books he had copied at the mage society.
In the remaining half day, Donald stopped copying and took a recovery potion. After resting for a few minutes, he turned to the section on continental history and began searching purposefully.

Donald’s main focus was the history of the Great Arcane Empire, and the records related to the Kingdom of Celt, as descendants of the Banai Empire, were far richer and more complete than those of most countries on the continent. Soon, Donald found the name of Sera, one of the great archmages of that empire. Sera was one of the seventeen legendary archmages of the Arcane Empire and also one of the thirteen archmage lords. Not all archmages were empire lords; some ruled together as spouses, brothers, or master-disciple pairs, while others focused solely on arcane research, with the empire providing all necessary materials and funding. Their research results were then made publicly available for most archmages to share. Sera’s domain was located in the north of the continent, adjacent to the Northlands and the Northwest Wastelands. At that time, the Northwest Wastelands had not yet separated from the Northlands, nor had they become barren wastelands due to invasions from the Abyss. The details were similar to those recorded in the legends, but with less exaggeration and fiction. Based on this history, Donald could infer that what was depicted on his ancient map was likely an ancient arcane ruin. At this thought, Donald was overjoyed; if not for being in the library of this high mage tower, he would have laughed out loud. The day before the celebration, the family insignia commissioned by Donald was completed, including a silver badge, a lord’s ring, and a personal ring. Since Donald hadn’t returned to the mage tower yet, Ferdinand decided to take Uther to retrieve them on his behalf, which once again earned him reprimands from Master Bossey. On the eve of the coronation ceremony, Donald finally made it back in time to attend the rehearsal held in the palace. “Donald, you’re back at last!” The countess waited anxiously in the palace and rushed forward upon seeing her lover return. “I’m sorry! I gained a lot from my time in the mage tower and almost forgot the time, causing you worry!” “It’s good that you made it. Come with me quickly! The official in charge of the ceremony has been waiting for a while. If you don’t hurry, you might miss the rehearsal!” With that, Catherine hurriedly pulled Donald toward the venue. The actual coronation ceremony was even more complicated than Donald had imagined. With the guidance of the court officials, he barely managed to remember all the steps he needed to take.

The next morning, Donald, dressed in a magnificent formal suit, arrived at the palace with Uther. The master and servant entered the hall together.
Apart from the seven knights being granted titles and lands for their military achievements, as well as those who had earned knighthood, the highlight was Donald, the kingdom’s most renowned hero and the highest-ranking person to be honored that day.
After a solemn and lengthy ceremony, Donald’s back was drenched in sweat.
Following this was a celebration banquet. With the countess’s thoughtful arrangements, Donald and Uther quickly changed into new suits and joined the other nobles in the banquet hall.
Unlike the local noble banquets Donald was used to, this royal banquet, which was held infrequently, was dozens of times larger. There were over five hundred attendees, and almost all local nobles would not miss such an event.
After the two-hour banquet, it was time for the exciting ball. Many young nobles were eager to dance with their desired partners.
Even before the ball began, young nobles were already discussing the most famous beauties in the kingdom. The ladies, on their part, were paying attention to the most prominent young men. Among them, the two princes, the heir to the Marquis of Ansel, and Donald, the newly promoted noble mage, attracted the most attention, as they stood out among the other young nobles in terms of both appearance and status.
Donald didn’t want to listen to these rumors and gossip, but as a mage with exceptional mental abilities, he could clearly hear even the whispers of two noble ladies several meters away if he focused.
Besides the ladies, the male nobles were also discussing the beauties present, with the ladies from the Ansel family being the most sought-after.
The other famous noblewomen were either already married or fell short of this marquisess in terms of status, appearance, and talent.
Cornelia, the “Flower of Ansel,” who had been studying in the eastern part of the kingdom, returned to the capital to attend this event. For the male nobles, this was undoubtedly an opportunity to showcase themselves. Many self-important young nobles tried their best to impress the beauties. Even if they couldn’t catch their interest, it would be a great honor to dance with such beautiful ladies.

As per tradition, the older generation of nobles did not dance at balls; instead, the most prominent person present or the host would select the highest-ranking and most outstanding young nobles to lead the dance. After that came free social time, providing an opportunity for the nobles to interact. This rule also applied to royal balls, with the highest-ranking person undoubtedly being the king. However, he and the queen did not need to dance themselves, especially since the king’s health did not permit such activities. Next, the two highest-ranking princes among the younger generation invited their partners to dance the first dance. This first dance was particularly intense, and even the nobles familiar with the princes could tell that they were competing with each other while dancing. When the music stopped, Donald was about to look for the countess when he heard a gentle voice beside him ask, “May I dance with you?” Turning around, he saw Ferdinand’s sister, Cornelia. Donald didn’t overthink Cornelia’s invitation, as it was common for noblewomen to ask men to be their dance partners. So he smiled and said, “My dancing skills are terrible. I hope you won’t mind!” As soon as the music started, the two quickly joined the dance floor. Unlike Donald’s calmness, Cornelia, who was dancing with him, could not stay calm. During her days back in the capital, she had heard people talk about Donald’s various remarkable feats, including those told by his mother and brother. This made her develop a great interest in the young mage. She wanted to see if the genius mage so highly praised by her mother and brother truly had extraordinary abilities. After all, it was the first time in her life that she had heard her excellent brother speak so highly of a nobleman. Even among the heirs of the major noble families in the capital, none, aside from the two princes of Celt, seemed to be truly recognized by Ferdinand. When they met in person, the marquess was somewhat disappointed. The so-called genius mage turned out to be just a handsome ordinary nobleman. While handsome men were rare, they were not unheard of. However, Donald’s attitude and words made Cornelia, from an ancient family, realize the extraordinariness of this man, who was only a year older than her.

Unlike those noble young men from the eastern kingdoms who thought it romantic to pursue her right from the first meeting, he treated her merely as the sister of a friend, with equality and respect but no other intentions. His erudition and his unique, profound insights into martial arts theory as a mage made Cornelia immediately regard this man, one year older than her, with almost the same level of respect as she did for her brother. Unaware of the girl’s special feelings, Donald was distracted while dancing, searching for Catherine. It wasn’t until the music ended and the lights came on that he saw her behind the throne. He then invited the countess to the dance floor, not noticing the slightly disappointed look on the girl’s face behind him. Above the dance floor, the marchioness sitting beside the king and queen, along with Princess Edwina, observed the scene, her gaze deep and lost in thought.